Night of the Storm
by LinkyLex
Summary: When the power goes out, leaving Makoto alone in the dark his cowardice surfaces once more urging him to seek out the comfort of the one person he will always rely on. Implied MakoHaru.


_Pop~!_

There goes the power.

Haru sighed as he put down his book, eyes blinking as they adjusted to the new found darkness which flooded over them in the absence of man-made light.

Well, there went his plans for the evening, there was no point trying to work in such low light and it would likely be just as futile to attempt to restore the power while the storm still raged outside. No doubt if he was lucky enough to get it back on it would only blow once more. Typical.

_Bang! _

It could easily have been mistaken for the sound of a thunderclap roaring over head, yet when the sound was followed in quick succession by multiple others it soon became clear that it was actually a seemingly hasty and clumsy knock at the door.

Whoever it was, they sure seemed desperate to get his attention. Though why anyone should be at his door at this time of night and during a storm of all things was beyond Haru. Only when he opened the door to face his mysterious caller did it make sense.

Well, sort of.

› "Makoto?" A quizzical tone left the raven's lips as he surveyed the drenched and clearly spooked form of his closest friend. Given the distance between their houses he couldn't have been outside for more than a few minutes, yet already he looked as if he'd been dipped in the pool several times.

His clothes could no longer be offering him any sort of warmth or protection as they stuck to his skin, weighed down by the droplets of water which had made their home within the fabric.

His hair too had received just as much attention with the hand held over it doing little to stop the liquid from finding it's way into the now darkened brown locks.

° "C-can I come in?" The taller male spluttered, his whole body tensing as a real grumble of thunder sounded behind him.

With a nod Haru stepped to the side to allow Makoto to enter, taking note of the deep sigh of relief which left him as he stepped inside and the door behind him shut to muffle out the sounds of the storm.

° "You lost your power here too, huh?" Turning just in time to catch the towel thrown to him the boy spoke and although he tried to keep his voice steady it was still all too clear that he felt uneasy.

› _Easily frightened as always, Mako._

Moving over to the sofa Haru sank into one of the cushions, concerned eyes focused on his friend and the little puddles of water he was now leaving all over his floor.

› "What are you doing here, is everything alright?"

° "Ah.. yeah, don't worry, nothings wrong," Mako began, wringing out his clothing before padding over to where Haru was, "It's just…"

Again he paused, a blush appearing on his cheeks as he tried to get his words out.

° _Awh man, it's just embarrassing! Even if it's only Haru-chan, I still feel like a fool._

° "Well… you see… My family, they're out of town…" Shuffling for a moment he took a seat next to the raven haired male before firmly clasping his hands together between his knees as if it would somehow aid his confession, "…So my house is empty… and I guess… I got a little spooked when the power went out."

As the other finally managed to voice his thoughts Haruka let out an understanding hum. He'd guessed as much, it was hard to imagine Makoto being unfazed by a dark and empty house, even if it was his own.

› "You can spend the night here then." The raven informed before glancing back at the watery trail from the door and following it all the way back to where the still soaked Makoto sat, "You should probably change first though or you'll make yourself ill."

° "Ah, so hypocritical Haru-chan~" The brunet beamed up at his friend, remembering that on more than one occasion Haruka had been ignorant to his health for the sake of the water. Of course, his reply earned him nothing more than the shake of a head.

° "Thank you."

_ › "_Don't mention it." Haru responded, taking to his feet and advancing out of the room, though not before feeling he needed to inform the other of his intentions, "I'm taking a bath. Sleep where you want, I'll use the spare mat."

Makoto simply nodded in response, flashing the other his usual smile before returning his attention back to the towel which had found it's way to the floor at some point during their conversation.

A soft yet utterly content smile broke his lips as he stared into it in thought. He couldn't imagine anyone better to call his best friend. He doubted anyone else would be quite as understanding and considerate of his cowardly nature and though Haru might tease him on occasion he always seemed to know when was a bad time to do so.

The perks of having known each other for so long, Mako guessed. He just hoped the raven would always be around.

A yawn soon disturbed his fond thoughts and he came to realise that although it had not completely ceased the storm had calmed a little. Simply being in Haru's presence had been enough to make him completely forget the reason he'd come here in the first place, it seemed.

As yet another yawn followed the first he decided now was the time for bed. Finding a change of slightly-too-small clothing and making his way through the house was no trouble at all - he'd been here so many times before that he knew it just as well, if not better, than his own home - so before long he was falling onto the soft sheets of Haru's bed.

By the time Haruka returned from his lengthy soak Makoto had already passed out, his heavy breathing serving as a good indication that he slept deeply and peacefully despite the rain which had picked up once more in the last few moments.

The sight of him at ease sprawled out across the sheets was enough to bring a smile to the raven's lips as he busied himself preparing the spare mat so that he could get some rest himself.

› _At least he's not as worked up as earlier. _One last thought before his head hit the pillow and Haru too joined Makoto in a land of slumber.

Still not entirely awake, Haru could not be sure what had woken him. It had likely been a crack of thunder or the crash of something blowing over in the wind. That was no longer his focus, however. The whimpering which seemed to stem from across the room now caught his attention and for a moment he struggled to place it before remembering the company he was currently entertaining.

› "Makoto…" He whispered, rubbing his eyes as he propped the upper half of his body up to peer through his eyelids at the dark room, "Are you okay?"

No response. Only the shuffling of sheets met his words, followed shortly by the muttering of words he wasn't quite able to make out.

Was he having a bad dream?

Speaking louder this time, he called the other's name again as he left his own bed to check on his friend. Once again, he received no response and as he drew nearer it became clear the other was still too deeply sleeping to be reached so easily.

The sight of his expression set in an almost child-like distress and the twitching of his features was not pleasant and though Haru knew he was under no real harm he still didn't like to see him like that.

Carefully, he climbed onto the bed lying on his side in the space infront of Makoto, a hand reaching for the one he used to hold so often in his youth in an attempt to provide some comfort. Even in sleep Mako seemed to relax as their fingers locked together and though he did not immediately wake the transition from his earlier state to one of a calmer manner was instantly obvious.

It was a few moments before the brunet opened his eyes to find attentive ocean orbs staring back at him. Blinking twice in surprise he took a moment to register the hand which also held his, casting his gaze down to them for a moment before reconnecting with those of the other male, surprise evident in his golden irides.

› "You were having a nightmare." Haru stated as if Makoto had asked a question. Not once did his eyes leave the other's face with the only change being the softening of his expression as he felt the other relax beside him, "Are you alright?"

° "I am if Haru-chan is here." After a pause he sighed, eyes closing as he pulled the other closer much to the surprise of the smaller male who relented to the embrace once the initial shock wore off. As a head of brunet locks came to rest against his own, Haruka nuzzled his own into the other's chest letting out his own, barely audible, sigh of contentment. Makoto might have been the one who had spooked on this night, but that didn't mean he was the only one to appreciate what they currently shared.

_° Thank you, Haru… For always being there…_

Perhaps it was lucky that neither noticed the clock as they drifted off once more. Soon the sun would be rising and the dawn of a new school day would be upon then but for now none of that mattered. For now, they'd savour the comfort brought by the embrace of one another and let their minds imagine that it might last forever.


End file.
